CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – The National Motorsports Appeals Panel has rejected an appeal by Matt Kenseth, who has been suspended for the next two races after intentionally wrecking Joey Logano over the weekend during the race at Martinsville.

Kenseth has asked for a final decision from the National Motorsports final appeals officer. That ruling is expected later Thursday.

NASCAR says it punished Kenseth harshly because his decision to wreck Logano altered the outcome of a race and that is never supposed to happen. Kenseth maintains he was exacting retribution after Logano wrecked him three races earlier, damaging his chances to advance in NASCAR’s playoffs.

Kenseth was suspended and put on six months of probation on Tuesday. Danica Patrick was fined $50,000 for wrecking another driver in retaliation on Sunday.

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